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Most girls want a Prada, Gucci, Dior handbag …..I just want a pick-up truck!

Most girls would like a designer handbag – Prada,Gucci, Dior! Or whichever one they are coveting this season.

Prada handbag.

Gucci handbag.

Dior handbags.

Me, I just want a pick-up truck!

Pick up truck.

Don’ get me wrong I wouldn’t say no to any of the above, be it tote, clutch or shoulder bag.

Strange you may say, but for me at the moment a pick-up is just what I need!

Look, it started off with me wanting a Land Rover or transit van (well if it’s good enough for Kirstie Allsopp and Sarah Beeny) those well known English interior design and property guru’s, who both drive the above vehicle’s, then it’s good enough for me.

It seems it’s glam to drive a van!

Most of you are probably recoiling in horror but for anyone who has driven one, trucking is fun!

I love a nice car like the next girl, in fact I have a very nice car, a black Alfa Romeo with tan leather seats.

But there is a problem it has a smallish boot, no hatchback so where do you put your purchases when you’ve been out to buy furniture and other large items, chairs, wardrobes and mirrors that need stripping and repainting (my passion)! Flea and antique market finds?

The answer is not in an Alfa Romeo! With a pick-up I can buy what I like when I like.

There’s nothing worse than buying something and then not being able to get it home!

As we needed a second car we wanted something that was practical and multifunctional.

List of requirements for this second family vehicle :-

Must seat five people.
Four wheel drive for use in the snow ( As here in Italy we can get loads of snow). Able to take the kids for off road adventures like driving through streams, up mountains etc.,
Able to transport my husbands tools around.
Able to accomodate random purchases from second hand shops, flea markets, antique fairs etc.
Able to transport bags of cement, new loo’s and bidets, taps etc., and any other things for the new house build!

Quite a list! The pick-up covers all these requirements.

Forget man in a van, it’s woman in a van (or pick-up)! So I say Yeee Haaar!

I don’t quite have the cute butt of Daisy Duke from the Dukes of Hazard but hey you can’t have it all, and if she can drive a pick-up……..

Well I am a practical sort of gal and of course I’m partial to a nice handbag like any other girl but you can’t put a wardrobe in a handbag can you?

So handbag or pick-up? I know what most of you might say!

Have you ever wanted a pick-up/off road vehicle/van and if so why?

HOUSE RENOVATION PROJECT – THE BEGINNING, PART 1.

Three years ago I moved to Italy to follow my dream lifestyle.

We moved to a beautiful quaint mountain town in northern Italy called Borgo Val Di Taro, famous for it’s porcini mushrooms and an area where Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) is produced.

The town of Borgo Val Di Taro.

We have just started building our dream house, finally after waiting for two years!

It has been sometimes scary but it’s an exciting new adventure and chapter in my life. And as my passions are interiors and all things retro I’m so glad to finally get started!

Everyone knows that things move at a slower pace in Italy (that’s an understatement coming as I did from London) where impatience is the norm! The three year wait has been traumatic at times as we have heard the words “domani” ,“domani” (tomorrow) so many times that we hear it in our sleep.

We’ve waited for drawings, planning and most importantly the last inhabitants to move out. Our house was sold to us by the comune (the local council) and was used as a day school for young adults who have Down’s syndrome. So we agreed that we would let the school be used as it was until the new school was built, and of course that took forever, so we had to wait and wait……..

The mountains.

We first saw the house four years ago. I must say that when I drove past the new house for the first time I didn’t really notice it as it was hidden by pine trees.

The house was hidden from the road by many pine trees.

I knew that it would need a lot of work to make it the right family home, but I did see the potential and the house has charm, and the location is tranquil and beautiful. The view is fantastic.

We had to nervously bid for the house in an auction. Our bid for the house was successful, so we returned to London, sold our house and moved out here to Italy, all within eight months.

This is the view from what will become the dining room. The view was obscured by the pine trees.

The house is a single story stone house and we are adding an extra first floor, garage and portico.

I have done the design myself and have sourced all the interiors and finishes, bathrooms and kitchen. I’ve covered every detail (or so I think)!

The architect changed my design twice, which I changed back to the original.I know what I want, and what I need to work for my family, I guess he wasn’t used to that .With just a slight adjustment to our dressing room and master bathroom we reached a decision that suited everyone.

But the architect and the team of builders who are four brothers are great and as they have all worked together in the past and understand each other and are making great progress. Rick, my husband is working on the build as the fourth builder so it’s all go!!

It’s great that he’s there all the time so he’s fully involved and decisions can be made straight away.

Before we could start we had to cut all the pine trees down. This was upsetting, but the trees were too near the house and the roots would have caused a problem. We managed to keep three other trees at the front and the advantage is that the great view of the valley has been revealed. Well worth it!

The trees were cut down and the stunning view was revealed.

We have now completed the third month of the build. The original house was gutted and we have added the first floor, garage, portico (half done) and roof. We are just waiting for the roof tiles to be added. Now all the main structural work is done and as we have bought the field next door to the house we will end up with a lovely size garden, which is great for the kids!

This is part of the field that we have bought.

I can’t wait to get the trades in and start on the interior (this is the most exciting part for me)! Then I’ll be able to fill it up with beautiful things. Retro furniture, restored Italian furniture ( My latest passion), flea market finds and a bit of sparkle!

I love my home and it’s really important to me to surround myself with interesting, beautiful, unique things that I love, which reflect my individuality and personality!

Now all the main structural work is done.

We will be going from this….

The original downstairs shower room.

To something more like this!

Something similar to this for the downstairs shower room.

I will be sharing all this with you – taps, tiles, bathrooms, kitchens etc.. etc… over the next few months, so if you fancy hearing about it stick around………………..

Have you ever done work on your house? How was it for you?

Beautiful orchids – An inspiration to paint.

I love orchids they are one of my favourite flowers! I find everything about orchids amazing.

Delicate shapes and details.

The shapes, the delicate lines of the flower as well as the the way the colour sits and gently bleeds out to the edges. Also the beautiful soft lines and patternation of some varieties!

Stunning pink orchids.

The white ones are very elegant and sophisticated but sometimes I prefer the bright, dynamic pink orchids, their colours are so vibrant and stunning!

White orchids always sophisticated.

I never tire of painting them so here are some inspirations and one of my paintings!

Whites orchids are always elegant

One of my paintings of orchids.

An white outline of orchids on a grey background.

What are your favourite colour orchids? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Edinburgh Castle and Cityscape – New work.

I have been busy working on some new cityscapes over the last couple of weeks for a client.

This one shows Edinburgh Castle and the surrounding city.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city and means a lot to my client.

As my sister lives in Edinburgh and got married in the Castle it also holds fond memories for me.

Here’s the process of my acylic painting on canvas.

First pencil sketches are drawn using photographs as reference.

I then draw the outline of the painting onto the canvas and then I fill in each section with arylic paint.

I then draw the outline of the painting in pencil onto the canvas and then fill in each section with arylic paint.

All main areas of painting are colour blocked with acrylic paint.

The final stage is to draw round the outlines of the buildings and trees using a brush pen.

Close up of detail of the castle.

Close up of houses and buildings.

This is the finished painting!

I really enjoyed painting this city as it was a new style for me and I am always open to new challenges and ways of working.

I look forward to painting many more cityscapes!

Have you ever been to Edinburgh? What’s your favourite thing about the city?

Pink Sultry Passion – model in a pink sequin dress.

When I decided to draw this model I chose to draw a strong, confident woman!

Her style is contemporary with a nod to a 50’s quiff!

I wanted her dress to sparkle so I covered it in a multicoloured glitter to get the effect of a thousand crystals!

I am starting to use crystals and gems to accentuate details on garments, the same as on the real thing!

Close up of painting.

I just love a bit of bling, you just can’t go wrong, the more the merrier. I definitely have that magpie thing going on where I love anything shiny, be it on clothes or for things in the home.

Close up of crystals.

Bring, or should I say “bling it on”!!

Finished painting.

In the painting the model’s bodice is tight fitting, with seam and dart detailing, which accentuate her curves. As does the fuchsia pink skirt that is fitted at the hip and flares out, as it passes the knees to a full hem.

I used pencil to draw the outline, then black acrylic paint. The bodice and the skirt are painted in different shades of pink acylic paint and then the multicoloured glitter is added to the bodice.

PAINTING OF A LADY IN A PINK/PURPLE FUR COLLAR

When I first saw a photo of this lady I knew that I wanted to paint a fashion illustration of her. She looked so elegant and stylish – effortlessly!

(Minus the two hours in hair and make-up)!

I loved the simplicity of her outfit but most of all I loved her bountiful fake fur collar. I’m a sucker for a bit of faux fur, it somehow makes me feel glamorous! Now I’m living in Italy a lot of women still wear real fur – unashamedly! It just wouldn’t happen in most places but here………

Nowadays fake fur looks so good you just don’t need the real thing. Apart from the obvious reason of the tremendous suffering of innocent animals, it’s just not acceptable in most places.

When I start painting a new piece of art I work out the placement of the person and what detail will be the focal point (in this case the fur) and then sketch out the model. I then decided to leave the rest of the painting, a black outline of the women, on a cream background to accentuate the strong colour of the fur.

Work in progress!

I loved painting this picture of fur and adding subtle brush strokes of fuschia pink to lift the rich, subtle purple base colour.

And here is the finished artwork “Stunning and aloof”. And I think she is!

“PAINT THE COLOSSEUM” THEY CRIED

“Fancy painting the colosseum”- literally .

A couple of months ago I was asked to paint the colosseum! No not the one in Rome but a carri (float ) for carnevale!

Carnevale is very big here in Borgotaro, Italy. It’s a big festival that lasts for a week, it celebrates the end of winter and the coming spring season, and the festival is just before lent. For two consecutive sunday’s at the end of february, a procession of floats parades through the town. The floats are made by the local townspeople and all have a different theme. Each float is for a different school class or local business. Everyone dresses up, participants and spectators alike.

My eldest son’s class chose the theme of the Roman’s, so naturally they needed to build a float that represented this, what better than the colosseum! Easy!!

The men made the structure of the float from wood, and then a geometra (in Italy this job is a hybrid between architect, surveyor and project manager) printed out the template of the structure, the arches and the statues that sit within each archway. This was great as it saved us so much time.

After the structure was built the women painted it (so Italian)!

Three, sometimes four of us toiled away for many hours, suffering near frostbite as it was very cold (it’s hard to paint fine detail with gloves on)! Believe you me it was not all glamour, risking life and limb on the top layer of the scaffolding!

God knows how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel!

I know I like the colour grey but after painting 80 plus statues between us, my love of grey was wavering.

The finished result……..

We were finally able to admire our efforts as the finished result looked great. With the addition of fabric and thrones for the two emperors (one of which was my husband) and of course the kids and the parents who dressed up as Roman’s, gladiators and maidens, who all looked fantastic!

My kids……..

Me and my kids………

My sons class………..

The maidens……………

My husband as Emperor – I had to watch that it didn’t go to his head…….

Everyone………

Confetti…………

The kids and the carri won a cup for all their hard work and attention to detail, so it was well worth it.

I just hope its not the Sistine Chapel next year!

BEAUTIFUL SPRING MAGNOLIAS

When I looked outside my window I was happy to see that the magnolia tree had started to bloom and its beautiful spring flowers had started to blossom.

I felt inspired to take photos which I would later use as reference to paint these delicate pink and white flowers! The flowers only last for a couple of weeks so you have to move quickly. Once I see them I know that summer’s coming!

After the flowers bloom the first green shoots come out as leaves. The combination of pink, white and lime green is one of my favourites and works beautifully well together.

Here are the photo’s :-

And here is the resulting artwork!

“Mesmerising spring burst”

When painting this floral artwork, I first draw out the flowers in pencil and then I use a nozzle to apply the acrylic paint to the canvas. This leaves a raised outline of the flowers and the leaves. I then fill in the colours of the pink and white flowers, leaves and the stems with a brush.

What are your favourite spring flowers?

ITALIAN SNOW INSPIRED 50’S STYLE MEETS CRUELLA DA VILLE ART!

January 5th 2014

Some recent snow!

As I look out the door at the back of my apartment this is the view from the balcony. I now live in a small town in Northern Italy. When I lived in London the only thing that travelled at the end of my house was the London underground tube train, things are a little prettier here!
A gentle stream surrounded by lush greenery in the summer but in winter the stream turns into a terrifying raging torrent after a few days of rain and snow, when all the water from the surrounding hills travels down into this normally tranquil area.
Today it’s calm as a white blanket of snow covers the ground and all the surrounding greenery. It reminded me of soft, white fur jacket (fake of course)! I was inspired to draw an elegant but somewhat Cruella Da Ville style lady wearing such a fur jacket.

Here’s my latest piece of work inspired by our recent snow! 50’s style meets Cruella De Ville!

I will enjoy sharing my work with you – so please tell me your thoughts and comments – Contribute, ask me anything, rack my brains or just say hi!!

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